I have a question for somebody - How do you get your dog to accept being attacked by a small dog without reacting?

My 5yo male GSD will put up with barking and maybe even some growling and even a snap or two from a puppy or some female dogs, but i would not expect or want him to just accept it if another dog, regardless of size, actually bit him and did some harm.

Self defense and all that stuff!

When my four year old bitch, Ninja, veteran of several bitch fights and has the scars to prove it (SSA within the pack), was being attacked in the park by the off-lead Yorkie, a LEAVE IT and a HEEL did the trick. The dog was circling us, barking, and snapping, and we got all the way to my car, and I unlocked my car, and got her in without her reacting to the dog.

However, the dog did not nail her. I was ready to kick the dog if it tried. So far it 40 years, I have never had one of my dogs actually bitten by another dog, save one time in class and that was over before it began -- that terrier maniac dog snatched her as she walked by and I grabbed hold of the leash and kept going with her to get her out of range of him. There was no damage done. But I must be slowing down.

I have gone so far as to take the leash out of someone's hand who was not paying attention and their dog started to go for mine, I pulled mine back, and grabbed it's leash and hauled it away from her (my dog) -- that was a 130 Rottweiler. I guess I am just not going to stand around and allow my dog to get bitten. I am going to be pro-active. If I don't trust a dog/owner, I am going to be careful up close, and if a dog comes at my dog I will step in and protect the dog so that they do not have to fight the dog off.

I hear this over and over and over again, but I just don't see it. I wouldn't lose sleep over whether or not my dog will appropriately defend itself.

The only time I've really ever had a problem was my sisters beagle. Her and I used to live together when I first got Bear. She had a beagle, which, granted, she neglected, and wasn't really that friendly with other dogs. One day the beagle decided it wanted Bear's dinner and attacked him, leaving puncture marks in his neck.

Bear did try to defend himself from is aggressor but wasn't able to reach him because I was quick to react and got the situation handling almost immediately. However, Bear ended up getting an abscess from the bite.

**Note: I did try to pay attention to the beagle but I was the only one working at the time. I did take it outside and play with it when I could and feed it, but it ended up becoming too aggressive against other animals to make me feel safe having it around Bear and Hobbes my cat**

I can't even count the number of times in just the last six months that we've been out walking and passed someone with a small dog going crazy barking and growling while Jerry walks calmly at my side and ignores them.

I'm not sure how disconnected from reality you have to be to tell someone they can't handle their well-behaved dog while their dog is going nuts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Jerry, CGC - born 12/8/2009, adopted 7/7/2012

You guys need to start having a sense of humor about these people. Next time, bare your teeth and growl at her. If you can manage to get just a little spit on your lip while you do it, I bet she never comes near you again.

I wish I could do this. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

I told my husband that the next time a small white dog on a retractable leash lunges at me I'm going to lunge right back at it (me not my dog). At this point in our walk he was on the lookout for small white dogs so we could cross the street. lol.

The only time I've really ever had a problem was my sisters beagle. Her and I used to live together when I first got Bear. She had a beagle, which, granted, she neglected, and wasn't really that friendly with other dogs. One day the beagle decided it wanted Bear's dinner and attacked him, leaving puncture marks in his neck.

Bear did try to defend himself from is aggressor but wasn't able to reach him because I was quick to react and got the situation handling almost immediately. However, Bear ended up getting an abscess from the bite.

**Note: I did try to pay attention to the beagle but I was the only one working at the time. I did take it outside and play with it when I could and feed it, but it ended up becoming too aggressive against other animals to make me feel safe having it around Bear and Hobbes my cat**

I know that I probably should, but i will be d#@#@! if I would ever stand by and let ANY other dog (or cat or kid for that matter) bite my dog and even less so stop my dog from defending himself!

I would (and have) hold him on a very short lead to restrain him but hold his head up in the air? (like my friend did when a small unleashed dog came attacking while on a walk - NEVER!) and her dog got a nasty bite wound in his thigh from it!).

That would be like holding your friend arms while someone attacked him (or her!).

Oh my goodness I would have laughed in her face. Literally, this would have given me the giggles. I'm a tiny thing, seriously I'm barely 5'7 and, weigh less than 120. Fynn is huge and, really dark, people are naturally scared of him. Our 3 month old Vandy is well over thirty pounds. I have had several people come up to me and, tell me horror stories they've heard about GSD and, how I need to be careful or should reconsider my choice in pets. I've also had people complain to my leasing office that Fynn is aggressive. Not in anyway true. He doesn't like off leash dogs yapping in his face but, he never snaps or even growls at them. I just laugh whenever this stuff happens and, simply say "I am always careful. That's why I bring him everywhere!"

Esp. to take their leash in one hand and at the same time hold your dog (a GSD, I assume) by it's leash in the other hand and can keep them from fighting? WOW!

That would be a sight to see!

We could have used you the day that a 65LB (or so) Pittie came after my friends male GSD in the parking lot!

Codmster, that 130 pound Rottweiler was over-sized for a Rott, a big dog, and it was dog reactive, but it was not yet 2. I wasn't afraid of a puppy, sorry. Though I am not a "dude" I am bigger than a Rottweiler, though if the Rott was mature and currently being people-aggressive, I would have probably handled that situation different.

Of course I grabbed the leash and pulled it back away from my dog. Else it would have nailed my dog, and she was a puppy too, I think under a year old. I did not want her to be wary of other dogs.

The Rott's owner, ran a pet-sitting business, someone you wouldn't think would be totally spaced out when she had 130# of crazy adolescent dog meat and fangs on the other end of the leash. But she was. I just made sure my dog wasn't the victim.

The Rott had a prong on, and it did get a healthy correction (from me inadvertently of course) for going after my dog.

There is another difference though too, only the Rott was aggressing, and it hadn't had a chance to sink its teeth in yet. So, it was actually easier than trying to hold two 75 pound bitches apart that were in the process of killing each other -- been there, done that too.

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